Family Matters
by Goddess Of Heather
Summary: Sequel to Familiar Strangers
1. Chapter 1

Title: Family Matters 1?

Summary: Sequel to Familiar Strangers

Rating: PG

Notes: Yes I know that there wasn't going to be one. But well the bunny bit. This is the sequel to a crossover but there is barely any CSI mention. Much thanks to silentflux who edits my grammar and gracefully allows me to distract her from finals and bother her on vacation.

Reid had been free of that blasted sling for over two months now. Everyone once and awhile his shoulder would twinge, but over all, life was going at the same speed that it always had. The team had just gotten back from a serial bombing in New York. It would be at least two days before a new case was sent their way, but there was always so much paperwork. He had once calculated that their team alone generated enough paper to cover the entire world. He was feeling good -- the air was pleasantly cool and the smog index was down. He was carefully turning his car when he saw a blur out of the corner of his eye. Then his world was filled with violence–glass crunching and metal squealing all around him. His world spun as if he was on a tilt-a-whirl.

He didn't black out–his brain just paused, froze for a moment, and later he would akin it to what other people had always called 'brain farts' which he had never had the capacity to understand before. When everything started to work in real time, he sees a kindly woman hovering over him and the first thing he can think is, "I had a green light." A man that had come up behind her looked puzzled, but Reid wasn't paying attention to him. He was instead unsteadily cataloging his injuries when the ambulance and police cruisers pulled up. The frame of his car was so bent and broken that they had to get the jaws of life to pry him out. The dashboard was pinning his legs but not painfully so. He managed to get his phone free and while he was waiting for machinery and in between paramedics questions, he called Gideon and told him had he had been in an accident and that he would be late to work. Gideon was going to question him further but the jaws of life had arrived and the noise was too overwhelming for him to try and hear over. His head hadn't hurt previously but all that pounding was making it throb.

Four hours wasted away in a blur of long periods of boredom followed by ten minutes of rushed activity. He was just thankful that they didn't make him lie down during the ambulance ride. He'd only had to once and had despised it. The sensation of traveling while flat was terrifying for him, and not being able to see where they were going was even worse.

Despite the fact that he arrived in ambulance, his injuries weren't life threatening and he had to take a back seat to others that came in. Eventually, they insisted on getting a head CT which required more waiting. As they were wheeling him back from radiology, he managed a glance at the ER's treatment board. Reviewing the information in his head, he came to the conclusion that he had a mild concussion (damn) and that they planned to keep him over night. He was mentally preparing himself for the disappointed looks that the nurses would give him when he checked himself out Against Medical Advice when Hotch showed up.

"Aaron?" Reid questioned.

"Hey Spencer.. How ya feeling?"

Spencer winced-- from that tone, Hotch had already guessed his plan to check himself out. Sometimes they really did know him too well. "I'm doing okay."

Hotch smirked a bit -- yep he had guessed. Damn, he'd have to stay in the hospital after all. "So ready to get out of here?"

"What!" Spencer snapped his head up and regretted it immediately when the room spun a bit.

"Whoa there!" Aaron rushed to his side and looked him over worriedly. "Do I need to get a nurse?"

"No!" Reid hurriedly pulled himself together. If they were really going to release him, he didn't plan on giving them any reason to change their minds.

Hotch looked worried but seemed to accept his answer. Reid didn't question his good fortune and quickly worked his way through the paperwork Hotch hadn't done himself. Reid noticed that they weren't headed to the office but to his place. Glancing at himself, he realized that there was dots of blood from tiny cuts on his shirt. When they arrived at his place, he directed Aaron to make himself at home as he changed.

It was the first time that Aaron had ever seen Reid's apartment, but it was basically what he expected it to be. Bookcases full of books framed all the walls, there was a sofa and not much else in the way of seating. Hotch noted the lack of a TV. Wandering he found himself in the kitchen which was small and serviceable with a tiny round table and only one chair. This apartment was meant for storing one's things, storing one's body, but it was not meant for social engagements. It was merely a stopping place before leaving to live. Everything was extremely straight and orderly with, Hotch noted in amusement, Reid's books sorted by genre and author. Just the kind of place he expected a person like Reid to own.

Reid exited from the back room changed and cleaned up. Hotch watched him and noted the lack of bag. "Where's your overnight bag?"

"Overnight bag?"

"Yeah, that was the deal with the hospital. They'd release you if some one supervised you for 24 hours."

"Oh." Some kind of emotion flashed across Reid's face and Hotch couldn't tell what it was exactly. He had to wonder if Reid even knew himself. Rather than argue, Reid turned and went to presumedly pack a bag.

It didn't take long and soon they were in the car headed toward Aaron's place. Reid was not looking forward to the next 24 to 48 hours.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Family Matters 2/4

Summary: Sequel to Familiar Strangers

Rating: PG

Notes: Yes I know that there wasn't going to be one. But well the bunny bit. This is the sequel to a crossover but there is barely any CSI mention. Much thanks to silentflux who edits my grammar and gracefully allows me to distract her from finals and bother her on vacation.

Hotch's house was about what Reid was expecting. Green manicured lawn, white walls and trimmed hedges. Everything was neat and matching with only the photos on the wall giving it more character.

Haley was standing there waiting and Reid couldn't meet her eyes. He felt as if he was imposing terribly, but then he didn't really have a choice, did he? Hotch lead him up the stairs, and everything seemed to go by in a blur of white, pristine walls. The spare bedroom had a soft blue comforter with a dark red wood. Spencer wasn't sure what the rest of the room's furniture looked like-- he was too busy sprawling out on the bed and crashing. He felt his shoes being removed but couldn't work up the energy to care. His instincts told him that Hotch was still there and watching him. He couldn't relax enough to fall completely asleep, but he was drifting a bit when he sensed movement reaching for his belt. Instinctively, he curled into a ball, protectively shielding his stomach and preventing his clothes from being removed. Eventually, he heard the whisper of feet on expensive carpet and he felt the last of the tension roll off of him.

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Hotch descended the stairs slowly, feeling as weary as Reid appeared to be. He worried after Reid as if he was one of his children, and it makes him dread when Ben is grown.

Haley was there when he entered the kitchen with a cup of coffee, and he smiled wanly up at her thanking heaven that she can put aside whatever fights they might be having to care for another person.

"He's tired --just going to sleep for awhile. He won't be happy when I wake him up in an hour."

"Other than the concussion he's okay?"

Aaron laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah, other than the concussion. God." Aaron's head was in his hands and his fingers at his temples, trying and failing to ward off a tension headache. "All that Spencer's gotten into, the number of times he's had a gun on him -- the idea that some shmoe talking on a cell phone and running a red light might have killed him is incredible." He looked up and tried to soften his eyes but could tell from Haley's face that it didn't work. "It just makes you wonder. We go out there every day trying to make the world a safer place, but how safe can we make it? There's always another bad guy, there's always another shmoe."

Haley's hand was on his arm and there were tears in his eyes when he tilted his head. Running a thumb under his eyes, Haley wiped them away saying, "I'm proud of you, Aaron. I might not like the fact that your job, your drive to help others, takes you from us so much, but I respect it and you should respect it too. No, the world isn't perfect and you can't ever make it that way, but you've changed hundreds of lives, maybe thousands. And there are families out there that are still together because of what you did." Haley was crying now too and her voice was shaking. "No matter how -mad," she spat the word out with a lingering bitterness, "it makes me to have you leave us all the time, I could never break up our family even if your too busy saving others to worry about your own."

Hotch wasn't even attempting to hide his tears now and he pressed their foreheads together and breathed onto her skin, "Oh, honey, just because I'm not here doesn't mean I don't worry. Every time I step out that door, I leave my heart behind. How else can I keep it clean? After all, it belongs to you." The tears stopped and Haley was stroking his face lovingly and smiling into his lips. They weren't really kissing, and there was no build up of sexual tension but this baring of souls was somehow more intimate than any sex she'd ever had.

Reid stood in the doorway a moment, taking in the scene, and then started to back away slowly, hoping not to break the spell. He¢d woken when his door had tilted just right and clicked shut. Thirsty, he'd decided to stumble downstairs and apologize for his behavior. But suddenly, he decided that a few more minutes of sleep would be the better part of valor. After all, he had no doubt that Aaron had set his watch and was fully intending to wake Spencer up on the hour.

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Two more hours passed with Aaron asking some rather absurd questions like, "What is the square root to 784?"

"Hmm, oh 28." Reid then swatted at Aaron¢s face and rolled over, mumbling into his pillow.

And Aaron's personal favorite so far, "How old are you in dog years?"

"168." Spencer yawned and stretched like a cat his shirt pulling up and exposing his stomach. Aaron caught a glimpse of purple bruising where Spencer had impacted with his seat belt. Aaron frowned a bit, but willingly left for the kitchen downstairs.

"Still sleeping?"

Aaron nodded, "Yeah. Honey, I, well thanks for letting Spencer stay here. He doesn't have a whole lot of family that can help him, and well, it's important to me."

"I understand. Besides, he seems like a sweet young man."

"Yeah, about that. Try to not, well, touch him or reach for him suddenly. He doesn't really care for it." Haley looked into Aaron's eyes, searching for whether or not she should ask. Apparently she got her answer, because she nodded. Aaron let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding. "Okay, well I was wondering if the team could-"

"Come over for dinner? Sure."

Aaron really grinned at that, "Well I was going to ask if they could come over for an hour or so, but I'm sure that they'd enjoy some of your home cooking, too." He shook his head laughingly. "Especially Derek. I doubt that he¢s ever cooked more than pasta in his life."

Wagging a knife at her mischievous husband, she said, "Perhaps you could put some of that energy into a salad."

Hotch threw his hands up in the air defensively. "Oh no. This was your idea. I'll go call the team. Besides," he tossed over his shoulder, "just because I think Derek can't cook, doesn't mean that I can."

Aaron who had turned back around completely so that he was walking backward. Unfortunately, he ran right into Reid who'd been leaning in the doorway watching the scene of domestically with a grin. "Oof." Reid stumbled backward a bit, but managed to catch himself on the doorframe.

"Oh, sorry, Spencer. Are you okay?"

Aaron peered worriedly at Spencer, who was slowly straightening. "Yeah I'm okay." A smile started to play across his lips. "Better than you. At least I can make a salad."

Aaron shook his head, laughing, punching Reid lightly on the shoulder as he walked by.

Reid hesitantly picked up the lettuce and started tearing it into a large bowl. Haley pushed a knife to him, telling him, "You can use I knife if you want."

"Lettuce turns brown because air hits it and it oxidizes. Cutting it with a metal knife just accentuates it."

"Oh." A smile played across her mouth, "Aaron tells me that you know just about everything."

"Confucius said that true knowledge is knowing that you know nothing."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Knowledge in and of itself is pointless -- without context it means nothing, and without action there's no context. The universe is so big, what I know -- those are useless facts that fill my head and the teams ears. 91.3 percent of my knowledge is useless because there's no context for it. What does it matter the average number of kernels on an ear of corn? Or that in1893 the Supreme Court declared tomatoes a vegetable even though biologically they are a fruit."

"Oh really? How did that happen?"

"Well, the case was Nix vs. Hedden, and the US had an import duty on vegetables but not on fruit. So an importer of course claimed that tomatoes are a fruit and shouldn't be taxed."

"Of course. So if biologically a tomato is a fruit, how come he lost?"

"Well, the common definition is vegetables are eaten at dinner and fruits are eaten at dessert. In general."

"You're kidding. That's seriously how it works?"

Reid nodded shyly, answering, "Yes. I mean we call a lot of things vegetables that biologically aren't."

"Like what?"

"Well, bell peppers for one." Reid brandished the bell pepper like an exclamation point, something to emphasize his statement. Taking it, he sliced it cleanly in half and displayed it for Haley. "This outside wall starts out as the wall to the ovary. When the flower is fertilized, it starts to grow and distend while the seeds develop inside the ovary." He points at the seeds clustered in the middle of the fruit. "The biological definition of fruit is a ripened ovary. Green bell peppers are the unripened while red, orange, yellow, white, purple and brown are the ripened form."

"Wow I didn't know that they came in so many color varieties."

"Well, the last few aren't very common cultivars."

"So what can you tell me about onions?" She points her knife at the onion next to Reid waiting to be cut up.

"Well," Reid slices the onion in half, "the onion part here," he gestures to the bulk of the onion, "are actually leaves. The stem is this very small place right here, between the bulk of the onion and the roots."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Onions are really very interesting. Vidalia onions, grown only in a small part of Georgia, are the same breed as other onions but they're so much sweeter because of very specialized soil in the area. See a trifecta is hit where the nutrient content, soil composition and sunlight are just right to produce sweet Vidalia onions. Before the government stepped in to regulate the onions, anyone could just call an onion a Vidalia onion. Actually," Reid laughs a bit as he gets side tracked, "there was this man that wanted to grow Jamaican onions, so he buys a bunch of land in Texas, names the town Jamaica and calls the onions Jamaican."

Haley shook her head at him and she helped put the finishing touches on the salad. "Is there anything you can't talk about?"

"Of course," Reid said.

"No," Aaron said at the same time, their voices overlapping.

"So which is it?"

This time Aaron got there first, telling her, "Spencer is humble enough to say that he doesn't. But the team has a pool going on who can stump him. Whoever finds a topic that he can't speak about gets nine hundred dollars."

Reid¢s eyes widened as he asked, "Wow it's up to that much? Who else is in on this?"

Hotch smiled warmly, laugh lines creasing around his eyes as he told him, "Just about everyone. Including the janitor."

"Huh. Well that explains why he asked me about the migration path of the whooping crane."

"And you told him?"

Aaron smirked at his wife and winked quickly, grinning at Reid who excitedly started talking about ultra light air crafts and changed migratory paths and the increased population from specialized breeding programs. Unfortunately, the door bell rang just as Reid was going into the details of which species of birds are currently having their flight paths changed by ultra light air crafts.

Preview for part 3:

Hotch hurried to answer the doorbell, not wanting to keep the team waiting. Gideon shoved his way in first. "How's he doing?"

Aaron looks over his shoulder smiling fondly, "he's rambling about whooping cranes."

Morgan shoulders his way past, "so in other words he's fine."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey so here's the next part of Family Matters. I wanted you guys to know that the stuff about concussions is fairly true, and the stuff that Spencer goes on about happened to some one I know. It was actually even more serious than I made it out to be, but I didn't want to ramble about it too much.

Title: Family Matters 3?

Summary: Sequel to Familiar Strangers

Rating: PG

Notes: Yes I know that there wasn't going to be one. But well the bunny bit. This is the sequel to a crossover but there is barely any CSI mention. Much thanks to silentflux who edits my grammar and gracefully allows me to distract her from finals and bother her on vacation.

Hotch hurried to answer the doorbell, not wanting to keep the team waiting. Gideon shoved his way in first. "How's he doing?"

Aaron looks over his shoulder smiling fondly, "He's rambling about whooping cranes."

Morgan shouldered his way past saying, "So in other words, he's fine."

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Spencer offered to help Haley bring dinner out to the table, so when he ran into Gideon, he had to flounder a bit with the bowl of salad before Gideon's hands reached up and covered his own to stabilize it. With the imminent threat to the salad averted, Reid managed to look up through his fringe of hair. Gideon had yet to figure out how Reid always managed to look up at him, considering the fact that Reid had several inches on him. "Easy there. Feeling okay?"

"Yeah." A lock of hair fell forward landing on his nose. It started to twitch madly and it was clear that Reid desperately wanted to pull it behind his ear. Gideon, without even consciously processing his actions, reached up and brushed it back for him. His finger tips seemed to burn where he brushed against Spencer's skin. Reid flushed bright red before stammering nonsensically and rushing into the dining room and away from Jason. Jason cursed himself.

He knew about Reid's crush on him. He was an easy object of affection–available, smart and most importantly, Spencer subconsciously knew that Gideon would never act on the crush, that he was safe from being rejected too harshly or having the offer accepted. Gideon had been slowly trying to guide Reid away, except for that rather blatant birthday present. Gideon knew that nothing could come from the crush, but the fear from hearing about this morning's crash left him worried and emotionally vulnerable. Hotch came into the kitchen with Haley on his heels. "What happened with Reid?"

Gideon looked away quickly. "Nothing, just a small collision of bodies."

Haley was busy ignoring the two, pulling a lasagna out of the oven. Hotch didn't seem to buy the story but didn't want to make a big deal out of it, at least not at this point -- his eyes seemed to promise a later. Instead, like a peace offering, Hotch handed Gideon a bowl of fresh green beans before Aaron grabbed some potholders and the lasagna, ever the gentleman.

The team had gathered in a cluster with Morgan at the center holding Ben. JJ seemed the most interested, with Elle and Spencer hanging back, out of range to avoid being handed Ben. Aaron could just imagine Reid holding Ben at arms length with a look of controlled fear on his face. Morgan looked like he could imagine it too because he seemed to want to hand Ben off to Reid, but Haley deftly grabbed Ben, rescuing Reid whose relief was evident.

Once all the food was on the table, people started to arrange themselves around it. Spencer, still feeling shy from his brush with Gideon, sat catty corner to him, as far away as possible. Ben was sitting in a high chair, happily playing in some pureed peas.

All the food was passed around with thanks to Haley for the invite and work. Once everyone's food was dished, Hotch reached for Haley's hand and bowed his head for prayer. Everyone quickly followed suite while Reid who'd already speared a cherry tomato looked around confused and put down his fork to bow his head in mimicry.

"Thank you, Lord, our God, for your bounty and mercy. Thank you for the safety of our bodies and the bless this food that we are about to eat. Amen."

Reid glanced out of the corner of his eye, waiting for his cue. Haley broke into the awkwardness of the silence that followed the prayer. "So, we were just talking about that betting pool." Reid hastily popped the tomato into his mouth and started to chew. "The one you guys have on stumping Spencer. What are some of the weirder things you've tried?"

Eyes swung to Reid who started to chew even more emphatically. Elle spoke first, "I gave up on my money when he spent twenty minutes explaining the history of Ai ki do."

"Harley-Davison."

"Pearl divers in Indonesia."

"Billiards."

"Root Beer."

"Wow. Spencer was just telling me about the vegetables in the salad."

Everyone's gaze shifted back to Reid who was chewing away. "Is that the same tomato?" Morgan asked.

Reid swallowed hastily answering, "The average person chews their food 4.2 seconds before swallowing." Reid ate another forkful of salad and conversation moved on to Ben and the beaming parents, football and the current movie releases. Pretty much everything but work.

Reid was starting to relax from the lack of attention when Morgan turned to him. "So, Spencer, what do you think of J-lo's latest movie?"

Reid glanced up from his plate where he was strategically pulling his green beans apart. "Who?"

"J-lo? Jennifer Lopez?" Reid's face continued to be blank. "My God, I just stumped Reid." The was a pause. "Score!" Morgan was looking decidedly excited about his surprise income increase when he froze asking, "What if it's the concussion?"

Haley laughed, "it's only a mild concussion, surely it doesn't make much difference?"

Gideon's face was framed with frown lines and he looked about to speak when Reid broke in, "Even mild concussions are serious. I've had a couple before, and every time you have one, you are that much more likely to have another. If I get any more, I won't be allowed out in the field. As it is I can't ride on any roller coasters."

Haley looked shocked. "I had no idea. Hollywood makes them look like no big deal."

"Popular culture often perpetuates some ideas pervasively, and they probably don't know that it isn't wrong. In the real world, the effects of a mild concussion can last for months. Once in college I had a concussion, and almost two months after the injury I tore up my dorm room in a fit of rage and didn't even remember doing it. The whole thing was very disconcerting. That was at least a moderate concussion. This one doesn't feel nearly as bad."

Everyone looked like they wanted to say something, but didn't know what. Reid excused himself to the bathroom and the atmosphere managed to right itself before he got back. The overall mood of the evening was much darker.

The conversation continued for several more minutes, but it was clear that Reid was starting to wilt. Rather than wait for Reid to ask, everyone started to make their leave and well wishes to Spencer. Reid saw everyone out and Aaron, not liking his pale color, helped him back upstairs, and when Reid didn't even bother to protest about being put to bed like a child, Aaron knew he was tired.

Preview of part 4:

Reid struggled against his attacker. Flinging himself almost off the bed, he managed to free a hand and land a solid blow. That seemed to make the attacker back off and he quickly took advantage, gathering himself up and running for the door.


End file.
